Mommy hood

Hello World--The Delivery of Paisley Bella Hayes

Where do I begin?!?

From the very beginning, I had my mind set that I wanted to go all natural, no drugs or epidural, as long as the baby's health wasn't at risk.  Many people shake their head and say, "That's what everyone says, you will be begging for that epidural once those contractions start!".  I have completed two full marathons (26.2 miles...without stopping), so I looked at labor as my third marathon and told myself, "I CAN DO THIS!"  Throughout my pregnancy I mentally prepared myself by reading books and listening to podcasts on natural delivery. I prepared a playlist of songs containing calming and motivational music (mostly Christian Rock and of course the song "Hello World").  I also had pictures of people that have made a major impact in my life; Aquila Andrus: my best friend that passed away in a car accident 9 years ago at the age of 19, Jaime Luch: a friend that passed away last May of Colon Cancer at the age of 31, Kristen Boyd: a cancer survivor and one of my closest friends, My Granny: who passed away two years ago and also battled cancer and My Grandpa Hyland: who passed away three years ago, but lived a long healthy life.  With all of this...I knew I could make it!

The morning of July 24, 2012, I was sitting at my computer working.  All of a sudden, I felt a slight trickle down my leg.  I didn't think too much about it, I actually thought I was beginning to lose bladder control--lots of crazy things happen during pregnancy.   Around 9am I saw a little mucus..I know gross, now I was thinking, "Ok, is this it?!? It can't be, I'm only at week 37?!?"  My husband was home and he told me to call the doctor, but I called my Mom instead.  She came over and we started cleaning the house, I took a shower, put on make-up and curled my hair hahaha.  Around 11am, my husband said, "Ok, can you please call the doctor?!" So, I did.  Dr. Livingston, instructed me to go to Jupiter Medical Center and they would test the fluid to see if my water actually broke.

At this point, I had a strange calm feeling come over me.  I think I knew this was really it!  My Mom and I continued cleaning and running errands, I dislike hospitals and didn't want to get their too soon.  So, I monitored my contractions with an application on my iPhone.  The application kept track of the length, intensity and duration of each contraction.  Around 12pm my contractions were about 10 minutes apart and very mild. My Mom and I finally finished our errands around 2pm and headed down to the hospital (my husband was at work, so he left to meet us there.) I told him he had to go home and shave his beard first and get his hair cut, so he didn't scare his daughter ;)

Around 2:30pm I received a call from Dr. Livingston, "Sarah, are you coming to the hospital?" At this point, my Mom and I just pulled up and now my contractions were a bit more intense and only four minutes apart.  At 3:30pm, my husband arrived at the hospital (looking very nervous, which is kinda funny coming from a 220 pound man full of muscle) and the nurse told me that I would be admitted to the hospital today, for I was 3cm dilated!! I cannot describe how I even felt at this point...every feeling and emotion mixed into one!  The contractions were getting a little more intense, but still nothing that I couldn't handle.

At 6:30pm the contractions now were INTENSE. I continued listening to my music and my coaches, the wonderful nurse Debbie, my husband and my Mom.  They were the best support system.  I asked the nurse to check and see how many centimeters dilated I was at this point...I was 8cm.  I told myself, "Ok, I got this!" It felt like mile 18 during a marathon when you "hit the wall", but I've felt that feeling before twice, so I knew I could make it through.  My Mom would let me sip on water and eat candy Dots (even though you aren't suppose to) and my wonderful man kept me cool with a compress on my head.

Me at 5:45pm about 7cm dilated

It was probably around 7:30ish when the doctor arrived and at this point, I was soooo ready to push I couldn't take it.  All the nurses and doctor were setting up the room for the delivery and I just started pushing, you just can't hold back at this point.  I think I probably pushed a handful of times and my little angel, Paisley Bella, came flying out around 7:37pm---after all, 737 is a Boeing :) A gush of water followed behind her, this is the gush I was waiting for, but I guess when your water breaks it doesn't necessarily have to "gush" out!

This was definitely the happiest moment of my life, besides marrying my awesome husband! The feeling is so surreal, I felt like I was dreaming.  When the doctors placed her in my arms my heart melted and tears of joy were flowing down my face.  I love my little girl so much and I thank her everyday for a quick, easy delivery!

Paisley Bella Hayes
July 24, 2012
7 pounds 0 ounces
20 inches long

Left to Right: Dr. Livingston, Paisley Bella, Jonathon

The first time I held my Baby Girl!